Cardi B is breaking records, and she has a special someone [1] to thank: Selena Quintanilla [2]. On March 1, the 26-year-old rapper took the stage at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to perform in front of the event's largest crowd [3] on record. The rodeo's representatives confirmed that Cardi brought in the highest number of attendees [4] via Twitter, saying, "Hey Houston, tonight we have a new All-Time Paid Rodeo/Concert Attendance Record: 75,580! What a night with @iamcardib!" Garth Brooks held the previous record with 75,577 audience members.
After the show, Cardi posted a video message to share how excited she was to hear the news. "Hey guys, I just want to say that I'm honored for beating the Houston Rodeo show [record]. I was so nervous to perform in front of 75,000 plus people," she begins, while standing next to a portrait of Selena [5] backstage at the event. She then pointed to the photo of the late Queen of Tejano music [6], adding, "But when I saw this picture, out of all the outfits that she wore, for me to see this picture with this outfit — this was the inspiration for "Please Me" — I knew I was going to be all right."
Cardi recently released a new music video with Bruno Mars [7] in which she sports a purple embellished ensemble, similar to the one Selena rocks in the backstage snapshot [8]. Cardi is the latest artist to pay homage to Selena at the show, which is located in the same venue as the Texas-born singer's very last performance [9]. On Feb. 25, Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves covered Selena's [10] 1992 hit "Como La Flor" during the rodeo — and that's the same song Cardi begins to sing at the end of her Instagram video. Watch the clip above before viewing all the stunning photos from her set ahead!
